Favre's run validates return

The time has come for Packers fans to stop the whine from coming with their cheese.

Their former quarterback, former hero, former God, is – even while graying in the beard and hair – giving Packer nation even more reasons to cherish his 16-year tenure in Green Bay.

With the Vikings’ 31-28 overtime loss to the Saints in Sunday’s NFC Championship game, the Favre legacy has made an even stronger case as to why the 19-year veteran will go down as one of the greatest football men of all time.

And yes, a loss has added to the first-ballot Hall of Famer’s pedigree.

That’s because, biases aside, there is no question the Super Bowl XXXI champion’s scrutinized two-time return to football has been validated. The one-year turnaround seen in Minnesota this season happened under the watch of a winner.

New team, new year, same Brett Favre. Although it seems sour to admit, Favre added to a legacy that had almost everything a professional football player could ask for in a place other than his true home.

There is the 1996 Super Bowl win and a near repeat the following year. There is the 16 year career he gave the small town of Green Bay, Wis., and their storied football franchise.

And then, most defining in my mind, there is what Favre did this year with Minnesota.

Never has there been such an immediate and impacting effect as there was with Favre’s arrival in the summer. Even with arguably the best running back in the league in Adrian Peterson, the Vikings lacked the necessary spark at the quarterback position prior to this year.

In a sense, there are two legacies synonymous with No. 4. There is the Brett and Green Bay, and then Brett and football.

There’s no question that in terms of Green Bay, Favre will, or should at least, go down with the likes of Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr and Reggie White. It hinges on the public court of opinion and the treason-like exit Favre took from a football Mecca.

Favre genuinely loves the game for what it is and simply cannot walk away on adverse terms, even if it would involve walking out on a fan base and town where his career was destined to end.

Going out on a losing note in the 2007 NFC Championship Game didn’t settle well once Favre began his first year without football. By the way, how hard were the Favre-haters cheering after Sunday’s copycat ending to ’07 NFC title game, in which Favre also threw an overtime interception?

There are some who will never forgive Favre for continuing his career elsewhere after his tenure in Green Bay ended. But then there are those who see the bigger picture, the clear picture as it relates to him.

IU sophomore Landon Scott is a die-hard “cheesehead” but will always value Favre’s time in Green Bay for the excitement he brought.

“He made every fan seem like part of the family; it was almost like you knew him,” Scott said. “No matter what, I love Brett for 14 weeks of the season.”

What many Green Bay fans unfortunately fail to see is that to Favre, a fan of a team is a fan of the game. You have your family on the team and your extended family linked by a certain zeal for the game.

IU sophomore Billy Kennedy has no loyalty to the Packers or Vikings, but doesn’t know a better ambassador in the game than Favre.

“I wear my Brett Favre jersey every time I touch the turf,” Kennedy said. “Like Brett, I believe in the importance of character, heart and enthusiasm in the game.”

Enthusiasm is where Favre’s passion for football is evident. His signature jump with his arms signaling a touchdown has become one of the most recognized gestures in the game.

And, as seen in Sunday’s game after rolling his left ankle, he will have to be near death to miss a snap.

Favre still has one year remaining on his two-year, $25 million contract which he signed prior to the season.

Another Super Bowl ring for Favre remains a possibility, and his seemingly ageless ability only begs the question of how much more will be added to an already indelible legacy.